Suddenly
by Ardent Aspen
Summary: (Title taken from the song in Les MIserables) Shattered Glass AU: "Airachnid, what is that?" "Starscream, I can explain!" When Airachnid returns to the Nemesis with a tag-along, life aboard the Decepticon ship changes. Two-shot, though I may extend it someday.
1. Chapter 1

**Well I went to go see a phenomenal production of ****_Les Miserables_****starring two of my friends today, and was inspired. I was thinking, before Valjean is given charge of Cosette, you wouldn't have pegged him for the parental type. That rabbit-trailed in my mind to forcing the Decepticon I dislike most into a tender and loving role. Of course, this would only work if it was in the Shattered Glass universe because I cannae work miracles, cap'n, I'm givin' her all she's got!**

**Transformers are Property of Hasbro**

**Jasper, Nevada, 1984**

Airachnid slipped aboard the _Nemesis_ as quietly as she could, holding her stolen bundle close to her chassis. She was almost home free, if only she could avoid- "Airachnid! Where have you been?" Scrap. Naturally, Starscream _would_ have been worried about her. He worried about everyone; she really ought to have been expecting that. She delicately slipped her burden to her extra legs, moving it behind her back. "Scouting mission, remember?" she asked coolly, "I ran into a few old friends on the way home." Immediately, Starscream's ire faded. "By the Allspark! Are you alright? You weren't injured were you? You'd better report to Knockout. Have you informed Lord Megatron?"

The barrage of questions let the spider-femme slip quietly past her compassionate comrade, smiling sweetly and promising to get a tune-up. Then, the unthinkable happened: from behind Airachnid's back, a delicate sneeze echoed. Both Cybertronians froze. "Airachnid, what was that?" Starscream asked in a low voice. There was no way to hide it any longer. With a sigh, the femme brought her precious cargo from behind her back. "Starscream, please. It's not what you think-"

"Oh sweet Allspark! That's one of the native species, isn't it?!" the gangly mech squawked. He gnawed his lip in consternation. "You _know_ they're not supposed to know we exist! What were you _thinking_?!" He glared down at the tiny girl in Airachnid's hands. Her little green sundress was torn and covered in ashes, and she was holding a piece of webbing around her thin shoulders. Wide blue eyes stared tearfully up at the fretful commander. "Oh...oh, don't look at me like that, little...fleshy thing," Starscream muttered guiltily. He looked away. Airachnid moved to stand in his gaze again. "No, you look at her, Commander," she said firmly.

"Look at what we've done to this world. The Autobots followed us here! Our war has come to their world and they are _not_ equipped to fight it." Airachnid cuddled the frightened preschooler closer to her spark. "Look at her," she repeated gently, "Cliffjumper decimated her home, killed all her nestmates. I couldn't just leave her there!" Starscream looked from the defiant femme to the black haired human child and back. No matter what he said, he was fairly certain the femme would keep the girl in secret. "She's a sentient being, not a lost cyber-pup," he warned. The outraged look in Airachnid's optics told him that she had never meant to keep the girl as a pet.

"Alright, alright," Starscream sighed, "I won't stop you. But_ you_ get to tell Lord Megatron."

Airachnid chuckled. "Honestly? I'm more worried about how Breakdown'll take it." She continued down the hall, smiling until she had passed the commander. She looked down at the little girl in her arms. "Don't worry, June," she whispered, "They can't send you away. I won't let them!" Before long, she stood before Megatron, defending her actions. The normally relaxed leader was quite tense, especially upon hearing about the destruction of little June's school. "You cannot raise her as one of us," he reasoned, "She has no protective armor! Suppose one day you turned your back for_ just_ a moment and she toddled under someone's pede?"

Airachnid raised her chin stubbornly. "I'll carry her in a sling until she learns not to!" she countered. June peeped over her rescuer's shoulder at the silver giant. "You are _very _big!" she said solemnly. "Are you bigger than a house?" All Megatron's further arguments died on his glossa as he took in the bright eyes peering up at him. "I...well, yes, I suppose I am," he stammered. June beamed. "I _knew_ it!" she cheered. Megatron sighed. "Very well, she can stay. Just mind that you keep her safe. If the Autobots ever learned of her existence, they would use her to get at you." Triumphantly, Airachnid saluted and smiled. "Thank you sir, you won't regret this!"

Megatron stroked his chind. "How are you going to break the news to your sparkmate?" he asked. The femme's expression clouded. "I'm...still working on that," she admitted. The Decepticon leader chuckled and shooed the pair away with a wave of his hand. That would be interesting, he knew, but the most Airachnid and the human had to worry about was perhaps being hugged to death by an affectionate Breakdown. So it was that a little human girl formerly known as Juniper Marie Thompson became simply June, the littlest Decepticon.

**Yep, that's supposed to be June Darby. I made her maiden name "Thompson" because I figured that "Darby" was the last name of Jack's dad.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Still Shattered Glass universe, fast forward about thirteen years.**

**Transformers are copyright of Hasbro**

The Decepticons had been enjoying relative peace when the call came. Soundwave had relayed the message through Knockout to Breakdown and Airachnid's quarters immediately. It was June, in the tiny house she'd bought with her highschool sweetheart-turned husband, with tears running down her cheeks. "Uh-oh," muttered Breakdown. "Boy trouble," Airachnid predicted, "I'll go." Breakdown pouted. "But you went last time! It's my turn!" he argued. His sparkmate shook her helm emphatically. "Dearest, _boy _trouble. She'll need her mother." Knockout rolled his optics from the door. "Stop flirting and watch the message!" he snapped, "I want to know why Junebug looks so upset!"

As soon as the message began to play, all three were on the alert._ Mommy, Daddy, I really need to talk to you._ She sniffled. "I bet it's that Darby guy's fault," Breakdown growled, "What was she thinking, eloping with that little punk?!" His sparkmate shushed him sharply and turned her attention back to the message._ Dad, I know your first guess is going to be that John did something to upset me. Well, this time you're right._ Her eyes welled up with tears again._ He—we fought, last night, and—Mom, can I come home? I need to talk_. Airachnid ground her denta. "Why did we let her get married _right _out of high school?!" she wondered in irritation. "Because we are—how did Lord Megatron put it?-woefully inadequate in the ways of human social customs?" Breakdown answered morosely. "I swear, the next time I hear someone say, 'But Daddy, I love him', I'm going to punch someone in the face."

Airachnid glared sternly at her sparkmate. "That's not what June needs right now, darling. She needs advice, and probably comfort." Breakdown grumpily agreed and set off to ask Soundwave for a ground bridge. Before long, their eighteen year old daughter was standing in front of them, wiping tears away with the edge of her loud yellow sweater. "Knockout," she said shakily, "Could you run a quick scan on me? I want to make sure the bridge didn't...effect anything." The medic shrugged, but did as she asked. Airachnid knelt to look her daughter in the eye. "Sweetspark, what happened? You and John have fought before!" "Not like this," June choked, "He's never done this before!" Her parents exchanged worried looks. "What did he do?" Breakdown asked.

"We were talking about Autobots," June began, "He thinks they're the greatest thing that's ever happened, and that they're going to solve all the country's problems. I told him the truth: that they're cowardly bullies who can't be trusted. He got so angry, Daddy." She fished a handkerchief from her pocket and loudly blew her nose. "Turns out, I married an Autobot sympathizer whose father works in the N.E.S.T. division with the Autobots." Airachnid was horrified. "Baby, I love you, but if I'd known that, I never would have let you near him," she growled. "I know, Mom. I wouldn't have gone out with him in high school if I'd known. I kept thinking I could fix his anger problem, you know?" She laughed bitterly. "Well, we both started shouting at each other, and somebody started throwing the word "divorce" around, and then I woke up this morning and he was gone. No note, no call, just gone."

"Good riddance!" Knockout muttered. June started to cry again and Breakdown glared at the tactless medic. "Junebug," Breakdown said in as soothing a voice as he could manage, "When you've come to us after fights before, I've told you that your vows meant you and he had to stick it out and find some common ground, right?"

"Right."

"Ok, well I'm taking back all my good advice," the blue mech deadpanned. "He's an admitted Autobot ally, and that makes him a potentially lethal threat to this family. He left you in the middle of the night, which makes me think he was up to no good, and we already knew he had anger problems. You're not going back to that house, and that's final."

June's protests were cut off by Knockout's confused query: "Junebug, why does the scan show you with two heartbeats?" The human woman blinked in surprise. "I forgot!" she gasped, "I was going to tell you yesterday, but then John and I had the fight." She turned to face her parents, twisting her fingers nervously. "Mom, Dad...you're grandparents." The stunned silence was broken by Breakdown toppling over backwards with an almighty crash. Airachnid stood frozen, stuttering, "You're—You're—p-p-p-" "Pregnant, Mom. I'm pregnant," June sighed, "John doesn't know yet, I was going to tell you first, and then him, but apparently he isn't going to hear about this for a while."

Airachnid broke out of her trance and hovered protectively over her daughter. "That Autobot lackey isn't coming anywhere_ near_ you and my grandsparkling!" she snapped. Knockout helped Breakdown off the floor behind them. "Mom, isn't that a little harsh? It's his baby too," June tried to argue, despite being furious with the man. "No!" her father cut in vehemently, "He's clearly demonstrated that he cannot be trusted with _any_ member of this family. He's an Autobot!" There was nothing further to be said. It had to be admitted, of course, that being the sole human patient on the _Nemesis_ had its perks. June never had to wait for an appointment in all the nine and a half months she carried her child, and the Decepticons went out of their way to appease her on her grumpy days.

It was with pride and joy (and a little bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth) that the_ Nemesis_ welcomed into its ranks Jackson Pax Darby. Airachnid and Breakdown hovered nervously over the exhausted June while Knockout, Megatron, and Soundwave curiously examined the tiny infant. "That," said Soundwave, "Is one_ angry_ little human." Megatron smiled sadly, barely touching the tip of his servo to the newborn's fuzzy black hair. "Yes, yes it is. He reminds me, in a way, of Orion before the War." The Decepticon glanced up at June. "Perhaps I might call him Pax Minor?"

The tired woman smiled. "As you wish, Lord Megatron. Pax Minor for most days, Jackson Pax when he's in trouble." She looked at the way Soundwave and Knockout were staring, shiny-opticed at her son, and sighed. "And I get the feeling he's going to be in trouble a lot if _those_ two hang around him." The doctor and the spy pretended to take offense. "We're the uncles!" the young communications expert exclaimed, "We're_ supposed _to spoil him!" The glare June sent them was enough to send even Megatron shuffling towards the door. The warlord's blue optics twinkled as he ushered his younger companions out of the medical bay. "Welcome to the family, Pax Minor," he murmured as the door shut, "I foresee that you will have a role to play in the War one day, whether that be for good or ill, I cannot say. Still, you will know peace for as long as I can ensure it." He let the hint of a smile tugging at his lips become a full-blown grin as he returned to the bridge. Pax. Perhaps the child was an omen that peace was not as far away as he feared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I decided to add another little snapshot of life to the Shattered Glass collection!**

**At this point I'm thinking I'll set up the characters on the Nemesis, and then after that move on to re-telling Season 1, Shattered Glass-style.**

* * *

The _Nemesis_: four years later

Airachnid smiled craftily as she crept through the chamber. "Where are you?" she cooed in a sing-song voice, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The muffled giggles coming from somewhere near her pedes told her that her hunch was correct. The little rascal _had _run straight into the vault. The huntress caught sight of a pair of tiny sneakers poking out from the corner of a display case. She smirked. "Oh no!" she exclaimed in a tone of mock concern, "Where is Pax? I just have _no_ idea!" Silently, she began to scale the wall to place herself right over the miscreant's hiding place. "_Fee, fi, fo, fum!_" she chanted, then dropped from the ceiling to find...shoes. Just shoes.

There was a high-pitched squeal of laughter as a barefoot Pax Minor darted out the door and down the hall, leaving a startled and somewhat embarrassed Airachnid holding the sneakers. "How in the worlds did he pull that off?!" she complained before transforming into her spider mode to shorten the chase. The little boy ducked under a startled Starscream and dodged Breakdown's clumsy attempt to grab him. He made it all the way to the junction between two halls before a set of massive silver talons swooped him up. The four year old lay flat on his back, winded, and still giggling. "Good morning, Pax Minor," Megatron greeted him with a raised eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"I'm playin' hide and seek with Rani and Pop!" the child chirped. "Oh, were you?" the ex-gladiator indulgently let the little one prattle on as "Rani" made her appearance, still holding the sneaky sneakers. The Decepticon leader hid a smile at the clear evidence that Airachnid had been outwitted by a preschooler. "Pop" followed close behind his sparkmate, chuckling. "He's getting better at this," he said ruefully. Airachnid groaned. "One of these days, we're probably going to need a heat-scanner to find him!" She slipped the shoes back onto Pax's feet, playfully scolding him. "You are too sneaky for your own good!" "I am sneakier than Autobots!" the boy crowed.

"I should hope so!" Breakdown snorted, taking his grandson from Megatron's palm. "I am sneakier than Goldbug?" Pax guessed, earning a worried glance from his elders. "You don't need to be worrying about that right now, Small Fry," Breakdown said, quickly recovering his smile, "Now, let's find out what happened to your jacket, so you can go to the park when your Mama gets home." Pax cheered wildly at the thought. "Let's go, Pop! I need my jacket!" As the bulky Decepticon and the preschooler shambeld off down the hall, Airachnid remained with Megatron, who guessed that she had something on her processor. "You worry about him," he observed. "How can I not?" the femme sounded frustrated. "He can literally disappear if you turn your back for even an _instant_, and he has no fear of strangers when he's out and about with the holoforms. And now, June wants to send him to school. _School_!"

Megatron looked confused. "Is he not already being educated here?" Airachnid huffed in exasperation. "That's what I said! But June wants him to learn to interact with human children his age." The warlord pondered this for a moment, then smiled broadly. "You said much the same thing when you and Breakdown decided to send your daughter to high school." "This country was _different _then!" The femme almost sounded pleading. "Now, the Autobots are in league with most of the human governments. It isn't safe down there anymore!" Her optics widened as another thought occurred to her. "And what if John Darby finds out he has a son? What then?" Megatron placed a hand on the distraught grandmother's shoulder. "Airachnid," he said gently, "We cannot shelter Pax forever."

He opened a viewscreen and pulled up footage from a human news broadcast. "We are his family," he said firmly, "But they are his people. One day, Pax will fight alongside us to free them. He needs to know why." Though she disliked it, Airachnid could not argue with her leader's logic. When June arrived from her new job at a local hospital, Airachnid and Breakdown reluctantly gave their blessing to enroll Pax in Jasper Memorial Elementary.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rated T for violence in a flashback in the chapter. Shattered Glass Arcee is scaaaary. I keep picturing Bellatrix Lestrange. Totally terrifying, thank-you-very-much for the nightmares.**

**In my mind, I see each of the main crew of the Nemesis enacting roles held by the Autobots in the usual series. (I wasn't going to show the evil Autobots until later, but then I realized I kind of needed them for this chapter). Megatron, of course, holds the role that would have belonged to Optimus. Breakdown takes the place of Bulkhead, Knockout of Ratchet, and Starscream and Airachnid trade off with elements of Arcee. Soundwave..well, you'll see.**

**Oh my gosh you guys. I just found out that Shattered Glass Ravage speaks entirely in LOLcat language. Day=made.**

* * *

Jasper, Nevada: 2007

Jack was ten years old the first time he saw the consequences of his family's war. He'd been at the lake with Pop when the call came: it was his mother, sounding absolutely frantic. "_Dad? Where are you?_" "I'm fishing with Small Fry, kiddo. What's up?" he had answered. "_There's been an attack. Soundwave's hurt, can't tell how badly yet. Megatron needs a headcount." _Breakdown's holoform flickered off and Pax dutifully climbed into his vehicle mode. "Mom sounded scared," he said quietly. Even a child knows when something is dreadfully wrong. No matter how an adult may try to hide it with a smile, the child usually knows.

The groundbridge sent them straight to their shared family quarters, where Breakdown let the boy out and transformed. "Stay here, Jack," the mech said seriously, "Don't get underfoot." He hurried out of the room, leaving a worried ten year old behind him. Pax had no intention of staying behind. He wanted to know precisely what was so serious that Megatron would actually call for a headcount! He slipped out of the room quietly and tiptoed down the hall before running into a giant white cat. "O HAI hooman!" it burbled. "Y U no stay in ur room?" Pax scowled. "What's going on, Ravage? I want to see!" he complained. Ravage seemed to contemplate this for a moment before answering, "Somebody got broked, aifinkso. U go back in ur room naow, KTHXBAI!" And with a sudden leap, the small Decepticon had passed Jack and was bounding down the hall, contemplating more pressing matters, like cheeseburgers.

Frustrated, the little human followed the sounds of a commotion and found the rest of his family hovering in a circle over a mech on the floor. It was Soundwave: he hadn't even been able to bridge himself to the med bay. Starscream began giving orders for the onlookers to move out of the way once Knockout arrived with an emergency surgical kit. Unnoticed, Jack slipped into the crowd and snuck as close as he could. His favorite "uncle" was scarcely recognizable. His signature black visor was smashed, and one of his optics could be seen gleaming dully from beneath it. One of his shoulder guards was missing, as was his left hand. Lacerations and fractures oozed energon onto the deck, pooling around him. Worst of all was his throat. The voice box had been completely torn out. Megatron was crouched next to Soundwave's helm, trying to keep him conscious.

"Stay awake, Soundwave," he ordered, "Just until Knockout stops the leaking. Try to tell us what happened if you can." As the doctor busied himself patching up the wounded mech, with June patching the minor leaks with webbing, Soundwave raised his remaining hand shakily. Starscream caught it and nodded grimly. Pax noticed for the first time that Starscream looked almost as bad as Soundwave did. "The Autobots set a trap, Lord Megatron," the commander rasped, squeezing his friend's servos. "They uncloaked the energy signature of an energon mine, and Soundwave went to check it out. Optimus Prime was waiting."

The gasps from the surrounding Decepticons warned Pax that this was far more serious than he'd thought. Starscream continued. "He interrogated Soundwave, I don't know how long, but he never said a word. Not once." Pax nodded proudly, his little hands tightening into fists. They were Decepticons: Decepticons did not betray family. Starscream explained that he had begun to worry when Soundwave didn't return from his scouting mission, and had tracked him to the mine. "Furious at our spy's defiance, the usurper Prime enacted terrible vengeance-" Starscream's voice hitched as he stared down at the ghastly wounds. Broken, warped audio began to play from Soundwave's visor, and video soon followed, distorted though it was by the cracked glass.

_The hulking Prime stood over the battered mech, hands clasped behind his back. "I grow tired of asking, so I shall only say it once more: Where is Megatron? What is he planning?" The view jolted as Soundwave reacted painfully to something. A horned blue mech sauntered into view, spinning a detached shoulder guard on his servos. "You hear him, 'Con," Cliffjumper sneered, "Talk!" Abruptly, something smashed into the prisoner's visor with a splintering crash, followed by a crazed cackle. "Or, if you don't want to talk, you can always scream!" the sing-song voice became a red-eyed femme with pink armor, who leaned on Cliffjumper's shoulder with a sneer._

_"__Arcee, you appear to have made some progress with our guest," Optimus said coldly. Arcee's maddened expression filled the visor's view. "Well, aren't you going to talk to a lady?" she cooed. There was a sickening crunch and static burst across the lens. Arcee pouted. "Not a peep? Oh, you're no fun at all!" The usurper Prime's optics filled with rage as the sound of Starscream's engine could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, the perspective changed, as Soundwave was now dangling above the floor from Optimus's grasp. "Very well, Spy," he hissed, "If you will not talk to us, you will not talk to __anyone__." Static once more covered the visor, full of error messages as the young mech was forced into stasis._

Pax heard someone cry out in horror, and realized too late that it was his own voice. June rushed over and gathered the little boy in her arms. "Sweetspark, Pop told you to wait in your room!" she whispered. Pax buried his face in his mother's shoulder. "Soundwave's _my_ family too!" he whimpered, by way of explanation. Breakdown picked up his daughter and grandson and was about to whisk them back to their quarters when Starscream's voice stopped him. "Wait. Give him to me." The spindly mech took Pax from his mother and held him where he could see Soundwave. "He needs to see this." There was a hard edge to his voice. "This is what the Autobots do, Jack. If they catch a Decepticon, they will torture him, tear his spark out, and recycle his energon. And if he's very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

"Starscream, enough!" Megatron leveled a stern glare at the SIC from his place by Soundwave's side. Seeing the look on Starscream's faceplates and guessing that his processor was lost in a memory, Megatron's optics softened. "See to your injuries, Starscream. When Knockout deems you fit for duty, report to your cabin and rest." Starscream's wings drooped, but he nodded and placed the human on the deck. "Jackson," Megatron's grave tone caught the boy's attention. There was infinite sorrow written on his faceplate as he gazed down at the shaking ten year old. "I wish that you had not witnessed this, but it served a purpose. You were always going to discover one way or another the nature of the Autobots. Perhaps it is better that you learned now, rather than later, for now you will be more aware of what we are up against." The child scrambled over to the massive warrior and huddled next to his pede. "I'm scared," he whispered, "Is Soundwave going to be okay?"

Knockout made a face that might have been an attempt at a smile as he glanced briefly up at his "nephew". "We can repair the superficial damage pretty quickly, kid. Just like when you went rollerblading on the hangar deck, remember?" From the hall, June winced at the memory of an eight year old Pax scraped and skinned from head to toe because he had decided that elbow and kneepads were for Sparklings. "Now you run along, Pax," Knockout tried to sound cheerful, "So I can do my job!" Megatron nodded and Jack picked his way back to his mother and grandparents, stopping to plant a childish kiss on Soundwave's battered visor. "Get well soon," he said solemnly, "We'll get the Autobots back, I promise." Then he rushed into June's waiting arms, and Breakdown carried them back to their quarters. "Mom?" Jack asked quietly. "Yes, baby?" "Can we sleep in Pop and Rani's room tonight?"

The nightmares stopped after a few weeks, but Pax Minor never forgot that day. Soundwave's voice box was beyond repair, leaving him unable to communicate normally. He used video clips and text to speak, which made him a far more effective spy. Somehow, he retained his cheerful nature, which was the main reason that Jack did not remain traumatized. From that day forward, however, the boy held a deep grudge against the Autobots for what they had done to his family.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, for this chapter, I skipped ahead about four years. Jack is now fourteen, and somewhere around 8****th**** or 9****th**** grade. Some familiar humans are going to be introduced, and I think that after this chapter we can maybe get into Season 1. I don't want to spoil anything, so that's as far as I'm going to go with introduction.**

**Hasbro owns Transformers, not me.**

**Ok, I do have 4 Bumblebees, 2 Arcees, 1 Predaking, 1 Airachnid, 2 Star Wars Crossovers, 1 old Burger King Predacon, 1 G1 Hot Rod, 1 Prime Hot Shot, 1 G1 Starscream, 1Optimus Prime and a recently acquired Orion Pax. But that doesn't count, sadly.**

* * *

Somewhere over Earth, 2011

It had become a ritual.

No one ever spoke of it, or strayed from the pattern. It was merely their way of life. Nearly every morning, June and Jack ate breakfast together in Knockout's laboratory, then the medic would drive them to work and the bus stop respectively. After school, Breakdown would bring the boy back to the _Nemesis_, where he and Soundwave and Starscream would monopolize the training chamber, to the occasional irritation of other Decepticons. At 5:00, however, Pax would stop whatever he was doing, gather up his homework, and head to the one truly quiet place on the ship: Megatron's quarters. Airachnid would stop to check in on him once or twice during the hour or two he would spend there. More often than not, she would find Megatron bent over the tiny desk she'd made for her grandson, attempting to explain a particularly difficult math problem to the boy.

Airachnid wasn't jealous, and if Breakdown was, he never let on. They knew that the Decepticon leader needed the peaceful moments as much as Pax did. The homework itself was usually completed fairly early on, but Pax would stay in the room, asking questions and listening to stories of Cybertron before the War. They weren't the funny stories Pop told, or the old fables Rani knew, but Pax loved them nonetheless. On this particular day, he was finding it difficult to focus on his math—normally his favorite subject, thanks to his unorthodox tutor. "You are distracted, Pax Minor," Megatron glanced over from his pile of datapads to the smaller desk, where Jack was staring off into space. He jumped guiltily and returned to his homework. After restlessly tapping his pencil on the table for a few more minutes, the boy looked up and asked, "Lord Megatron, is it ever okay for me to fight with other kids?" _Well. That was out of deep space. _Megatron thought, and turned in his seat to ask a question of his own. "Do you mean verbally or physically?"

Pax dropped the pencil and ran both hands through his hair. "I don't know; like if I see someone hurting a fellow student, am I allowed to step in, or is that breaking Priority 1?" Megatron frowned. "What happened, Jackson?" he sighed. Slowly at first, then increasing in speed, the story tumbled out of the human. There was a little girl in the grade under him, he said, and she wasn't very friendly. You could say hello and wave, but she usually wouldn't even acknowledge the greeting. Pax thought maybe it was because she was homesick, seeing as her parents had sent her to Jasper on her own for some sort of medical procedure. She always traveled with this older girl who was in his class and they never talked to _anyone_. Megatron had assumed at first that this was the student that Jack had been in the altercation with, but was further surprised to hear him defend the girl. "There's this _other_ group of kids from other grades, all from the same family, and they're _jerks_!" he burst out, "The Esquivels bully those two all the time!" He scowled and gripped the sides of his chair to keep his fists from clenching. "They're like tiny Autobots around anyone smarter or weaker than them."

"Be careful, Jackson," Megatron cautioned sternly, "They are certainly bullies, but the label of Autobot should _never_ be applied to humans without an overwhelmingly good reason." The boy ducked his head, with a sullen "sorry" escaping his lips. There was an uncomfortable silence for a while. Pax stubbornly worked at his math problems, stinging slightly from the rebuke. He had nearly forgotten his original question by the time the Decepticon warlord answered it. "What?" he asked, unprepared for the sudden conversation. "Try to befriend the girls," Megatron repeated, "Perhaps their tormentors may think twice about disturbing them if they are not alone." He smiled in wistful rememberance. "I met your namesake that way." Pax stared incredulously at him. "Orion Pax was bullied in school?" "No," Megatron laughed, "I was!" The twinkle faded from his optics and he became serious once more. "If a confrontation arises, do what you can to defuse it. Do not respond with violence, that is not our way." He appeared to consider something, then added, "If, however, a day comes when you are faced with a fight and no adult is available or willing to aid you, I give you my permission to defend yourself and your friends by any means you deem necessary."

Megatron's words still rang in the young human's ears the next day as he sought out the bullied girls. He found them in their customary spot, the stairwell between the gymn and the library. The older girl had been assigned to the younger as a helper the day she had arrived. Sierra took her job very seriously, and even had a few bruises to prove it. The moment she saw the Darby kid approaching, the thirteen year old stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the ten year old exchange student. "What do you want?" Sierra asked suspiciously. Jack raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Take it easy, I just wanted to ask if I could sit with you guys during lunch," he took a step back, trying to put them at ease. From behind Sierra, a round face appeared. Brown, almond-shaped eyes sized him up critically before the little girl offered him a shy smile.

"You must be Miko," Pax nodded in greeting. "I'm Jack." The Japanese exchange student's smile fell and she tilted her head to the side, looking confused. She squinted at his face for a moment, then turned to Sierra and moved her fingers in a series of rapid shapes. The red-haired girl translated, "She can't understand you. You didn't move your lips very much." Suddenly Jack understood why Miko never acknowledged a greeting when someone was behind her. Sierra made a flurry of motions to the younger girl, whose eyes widened in recognition. She waved timidly at Jack. Then Miko moved her hands horizontally sideways, pointed at him, and brought her hands back towards her with her fingers curled in, facing upwards. One hand spelled out what Jack was sure was a word, and the other tapped her chest. She stared hopefully up at the older boy, who looked to Sierra for translation. "She says, _Will you be my friend?_" Sierra explained, surprised.

Jack nodded, grinning widely, then copied her question as best he could, directed to both Miko and Sierra. His clumsy efforts left the girls smirking, but he managed to get the point across. "Jack Darby," he said, holding one hand out to Sierra. Blushing, she shook it, muttering, "Sierra Cody." When Breakdown arrived to take Jack home that day, the boy announced that he wanted to learn sign language. "I want to be able to talk to them without making Sierra translate, Pop," he said resolutely, "Do you think you could help me practice?" Breakdown chuckled through the radio. "Have you _seen_ the size of my servos, Small Fry? You're better off asking your Mom or Rani." Pax shook his head. "I'll ask them, but I want you to help too," he said stubbornly, "What if someday I bring them to meet you guys in holoform?"

The grizzled hologram in the driver's seat looked startled. "Aren't you a little young to be bringing girls home?" Pax's face turned bright red. "_Pop_! I didn't mean it like _that_!" he howled, dropping his forehead to meet his palm with a resounding smack. His grandfather's laughter shook the entire vehicle as they sped through the Ground Bridge.

* * *

**I watched a video of someone saying "Will you be my friend?" in sign language several times before describing it as best I could, if you were wondering where I got the motions Miko made.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh dear, oh dear. It's time, I fear, for "Darkness Rising, Part 1". I'll be doing the episode(s) in installments rather like the comic book adaption, because otherwise this would be a really long chapter.**

**How many of you remember watching the show when it premiered for the first time? (Raises hand). Homework was completely forgotten that day, as was laundry...which was unfortunate, because everyone was waiting for one of the dryers to be open...**

**Anyway, who remembers how it opens? I have to introduce a character, just to kill him off. This stinks. (Shakes fist: "CLIFFJUMPERRRR!") Also, according to the Tfwiki, apparently Arcee and Bumblebee are somehow distantly related. O_O well, didn't see ****_that_**** coming! **

* * *

The skies over Jasper, 2012.

The roar of an F-16 was hardly enough to make the humans of Nevada take notice. If they had looked up, and if by some miracle they had the eyes of a hawk, they might have been caught off guard by the guady purple and black paint scheme. Skywarp whooped in exhilaration and dropped into a barrell roll. His com crackled. "**Skywarp, you're going to show up on every radar in the country if you keep that up!**" his older brother lamented. "Relax, 'Screamer! Can't a guy have a little fun, every now and then?" To his right, a silver F-16 drew level with him. "**So, it's **_**fun**_** you want?"** The voice was distinctly mischievous. With a burst of speed, the jet soared ahead and cut off Skywarp's path. "Cheat cheat cheat!" the younger Seeker fumed.

"**Last-sparked, last place!**" Starscream taunted, rotating to fly backwards while facing his brother. A third voice joined the conversation from a back-country road far below. "_Will you two knock it off?" _Knockout peevishly rolled along the bumpy highway, doing his best to avoid the pot holes. "_We're not out here to have 'fun', we're supposed to be on the lookout for Autobot activity." _Skywarp snorted and playfully nudged Starscream as he caught up again. "Relax, Doc. The 'Bots haven't made a move for five years!" "_That's what worries me._" The doctor's half-murmured statement silenced the Seekers, and their flight patterns straightened out in response. After another hour of flight, they began to pick up a large-scale energon reading. "Got a spike in my sector!" the purple and black Decepticon reported, "I'm gonna go check it out!"

From his own search coordinates, Starscream involuntarily shuddered, remembering how Soundwave had lost his voice. "**Be careful, Skywarp. It could be a trap**," he warned. His brother merely laughed. "I always think everything could be a trap, which is why I'm still alive!" Starscream huffed in annoyance. "**Why you delight in quoting that film is beyond me!**" he grumbled. "It's because you have no sense of humor," was the cheeky response. "_Starscream has a point, Skywarp," _Knockout observed, narrowly missing a cactus below, "_Will you need backup?"_ "Do I _ever_ need backup?" Skywarp peeled out on his own, headed for the signal. The slim Decepticon landed gracefully in the midst of an energon mine. He whistled appreciatively and tapped his claws against one of the massive blue crystals. "Skywarp to Starscream: I found a whole mine! Looks abandoned, but just to make sure..." He fired a flare into the mine entrance. His optics widened, almost comically. "Ohhhhhh _scrap_!" he gulped.

Autobot drones poured out into the open air, surrounding him. "Hey, bro?" Skywarp chuckled nervously. "About that backup..." He turned his attention back to the dull bronze Vehibots and sighed. "Well, when I got out of recharge this morning, I didn't think I'd kicking any skidplates, but thank the Allspark for small favors, I say!" He made a "bring it on" gesture and dropped into a fighting crouch. From far away, Starscream alerted the Decepticons of Skywarp's predicament before nearly breaking the sound barrier in hopes of reaching the mine in time. Halfway there, Skywarp's somewhat weakened voice broadcasted over the open Decepticon channel. "'Scream? I'm gonna have to blow the mine." "**Just take off, Skywarp! I'm almost there**!" Starscream reassured him, pushing his engines to go faster than perhaps they should have gone. Skywarp scoffed. "Sorry, 'Scream. They've got me pinned down." His voice wavered for a moment, making him sound much younger. "Hey, big brother? If I don't get a chance to tell you in person...this isn't your fault. I love you." Then the sounds of explosions eclipsed the speakers.

A groundbridge opened, and the remaining three Vehibots took the opportunity to flee...taking the prone form of Skywarp with them. Starscream, Breakdown, Knockout and Megatron arrived moments later and stared in horror at the wreckage. Starscream began to shake, his armor rattling. "He's not here," he whispered. His knee joints gave out and he collapsed to the ground, servos spasming. "Oh no," Knockout groaned, "Not now!" The medic crouched in front of the trembling mech as the others searched the crater. "Starscream? Hello? It's Knockout, remember? This is Earth, not Cybertron." Vacant optics met his: the Commander was in the middle of a flashback. "Where are my brothers?" he whispered.

* * *

The Autobot base was dark and cavernous, dimly lit by hundreds of viewing screens keeping tabs on locations all over the globe. A dirty blue shape with broad shoulders swaggered up to the helpless Decepticon. "Well well, how the mighty have fallen, eh Skywarp?" the horned mech sneered. Skywarp spat a mouthful of energon at the Autobot commander's pedes. "Cliffjumper. It's been awhile! You're looking awful, as usual." The Seeker managed a shark-like grin, despite his position. "Where's your master?" Smugness and fury warred for dominance on Cliffjumper's faceplate. "I am my own master!" he shrieked, plunging his fist into the weakened prisoner's sparkchamber. Skywarp's breath hitched, and the light in his optics faded out as his lifeless husk crashed to the deck. "Oops," Cliffjumper muttered, "I think I was supposed to interrogate him..." He shrugged and motioned to the drones. "Clean that up," he said carelessly, "And see what can be salvaged from the mine."

* * *

Knockout looked up from his scanner grimly. "Skywarp's life signal just went offline." Starscream remained seated on the ground, clutching a shard of raw energon to his spark, but his optics hardened. "What do we do now?" Breakdown asked quietly. Megatron shuttered his optics and shook his helm. "For now, we return to the _Nemesis_. Tonight we will hold a vigil for Skywarp." He turned and helped Starscream to his pedes, steadying him with one hand. "I'm the last one," the younger mech said hollowly. He repeated the words over and over as Soundwave bridged them back home. That night, Airachnid, Breakdown, June and Pax stood with Knockout, Starscream, Soundwave and his cassettes, listening to Megatron speak.

"We must not allow our anger over the loss of Skywarp to impair our judgment. As of today, only we few Decepticons remain on this earth. We owe it to ourselves, to the memory of Cybertron, to any Decepticon in any galaxy seeking refuge, to humankind, and we owe it to the memory of Skywarp to survive." The huge warrior stepped forward to a lit torch in the center of their circle. From two pots beneath it, he drew two brushes and painted a geometric design on his faceplate, beneath his left optic. The colors of the sign of mourning were Skywarp's purple and black paint scheme. Megatron motioned to the others, and one by one they stepped forward to have the mark of grief brushed onto their faces and visors. Pax stood up straight as Megatron set aside the brush and fixed him with an apologetic look. "The brush is too large, Pax. Hold still." Airachnid dipped her servos into the paint and carefully traced the design onto the boy's cheek, then repeated the process for June.

The woman clung to Airachnid, lips pressed firmly together to keep from crying out against how wrong it all was. Skywarp and Starscream had been her closest friends when she was growing up. The first time she'd ever had her heart broken, it had been Skywarp who had held her until the tears stopped. "Mom," June croaked, but was unable to speak beyond that. Airachnid held her daughter close as Breakdown settled Jack on his shoulder. "I know, Sweetspark, I know," she whispered. Starscream turned away, wings trembling with emotion. "Starscream?" Megatron asked quietly. "If my brother is dead, no amount of tears and pleading will bring him back," the Seeker growled. "Perhaps one day I will go to him, and to Thundercracker, but they will not return to me." He stalked towards the flight deck. "So unless anyone minds," he said bitterly, "I'll go back to protecting _humankind_."

* * *

"Welcome to K.O. Drive in, where every patty's a Knock out!" Sierra pasted a smile on her face as she rollerbladed up to the car, but her hands were making the signs for _I hate my life_. The tired looking man in the minivan full of kids sighed. "Do you still take cash here?" he asked. Sierra's smile dropped and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. The Currency Act effected us too. We're only allowed to take government-issued credit cards." The woman in the seat next to the driver gave Sierra a pleading look. "Please, we can't afford an Autocard! Can't you just let it go this time?" Sierra looked away. "I wish I could, honestly I do. Times are hard all over." A little voice in the backseat piped up, "Mommy? I'm hungry!" The blonde offered the speaker a shaky smile. "I know, Daniel, just be patient." The man was about to begin arguing with Sierra when he noticed her hands. He squinted, catching her urgent expression. Was that...finger spelling? He remembered taking a recquired course in ASL (American Sign Language) when he was in grade school, ages ago, but never remembered more than the alphabet.

The red-haired carhop was spelling out, _Purple door. Free meal. Secret._ "Well," she said in a cheerful voice, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you folks, but have a nice day anyhow!" The van pulled away, the driver making sure to throw angry looks at K.O. Burger as they left. Sierra deflated slightly. Hopefully her boss wouldn't ask about the almost-customers. This was the third family this week that she'd directed to the illegal soup-kitchen, and she had a feeling that the boss wouldn't care for that too much. A familiar blue armored van pulled into the lot and her shoulders sagged with relief. She was slightly surprised to see Jack in the driver's seat, but she reflected that he was technically old enough to have his permit. Sierra rolled up to the window and leaned on the door. "I hope you're here to rescue me," she moaned. The young man offered her a sympathetic look, somewhat marred by the black and purple star-like shape under his left eye.

"I meant to ask you at school, but I didn't get a chance," Sierra motioned to the design. Jack shrugged with a sad smile. "It's my family's way of showing grief. I lost an uncle three days ago. He was a soldier." He didn't say anything more on the subject except to thank Sierra for distracting the teacher who'd nearly had a conniption fit the first time he showed up in class with the mark. The man Sierra had come to recognize as her friend's grandpa sat in the seat next to him. He also had the twisting design on his cheek. "Family tradition dictates we wear this for the remainder of the week," he said gruffly. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to vanish for a moment. They didn't close, or hide behind wrinkles, they just _weren't there_ for about three seconds. Sierra jumped, and Jack noticed. "Pop, what's wrong?" he asked. The man began spewing out a list of words Sierra had never heard before but guessed were not the kind you used in polite conversation.

She followed his gaze to a pair of bronze and green muscle cars slowly patrolling the streets. Great. Government guys. Was the Darby family in trouble with the law or were they here about the secret soup-kitchen? Sierra turned a concerned eye to her friend. Jack quickly signed to her, _Clock out now, go straight home._ She scowled. _How? You guys normally drop me off!_ Jack shook his head emphatically. _Not this time. Stay inside._ Sierra planted her hands on her hips. "Jackson Darby, you tell me what's going on right now!" she snapped. The boy's eyes widened and he shushed her quickly. "Stay out of this! You'll be in danger here. It's not your concern, just run home and you'll be safe." Abruptly, the blue vehicle sped out of the lot, and one of the two government cars tore after it. "Oh man," Sierra gulped. As calmly as she could manage, she clocked out of her shift and began to walk home. The remaining car began to covertly follow her. Sierra quickened her pace slightly, even though she knew she probably looked guilty.

Finally, she broke into a run and ducked down an alley. She didn't want the feds knowing where she lived, not if she could help it. When she came to the old dirt road, she turned left instead of right, her dusty boots taking her out into the desert. With everything in her focused on running as fast and far as she could, she didn't hear the scream of a jet engine, or the mysterious sound of gears and plates sliding. She only knew that the silent government car was catching up to her. Suddenly, her feet were no longer touching the ground, and she was watching a laser bolt fly through the space where she had just been. Terrified, Sierra looked around and found herself in the grasp of a giant silver hand. "Stay still!" a raspy voice ordered, "This is going to be tricky!" Metal began to shift and fold around her, and she covered her head with a shriek. When she opened her eyes, she was in the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet, pulling away from the car. "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh," Sierra was hyperventilating.

Starscream had flown too low to snatch the human. He would need space to regain altitude or else crash to earth: he was vulnerable at this height. "**Starscream to the **_**Nemesis**_**!**" he shouted over the com, "**I need immediate backup!**" The Vehibot had been joined by several others, justifying Starscream's mild panic. Spotting a canyon, he dove, ignoring the shrill screams of his passenger. "Hang on, kid," he growled, "This is going to be rough!" He pulled out of the dive with a last-minute correction and soared up nearly vertically. Sierra desperately hoped she wouldn't throw up. "Where do you live, human?" the disembodied voice asked. Sierra nearly told him, but then frantically shook her head. "You can't take me back there! Those guys saw what street I live on! What if they go after my grandma?!" Starscream sighed in exasperation. "Fine, _fine!_ I'll take you with me."Somehow, when Megatron had told him to protect humankind, this wasn't how he'd pictured doing it.

* * *

**Bahaha, poor 'Scream. Stuck with a stowaway. Miko shows up next time, being all cute and adorable and stuffs. Just like a certain Decepticon that I think she's going to get along with perfectly! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Been awhile, hasn't it? We're on to the next part of "Darkness Rising, Part 1"!**

**I promised you Miko-cuteness, and so Miko-cuteness you shall have!**

**Enough chatter, my dears! Let's roll out!**

* * *

"Stop squirming, will you? We're almost there!" the raspy voice coming out of the radio startled Sierra once more. "What are you even looking at?" Starscream asked, "Autotroopers can't fly. We're safe now!" The girl frowned and pulled her knees to her chest. "Are you sure?" she squeaked, barely audibly. "It would be inconcei-" Starscream didn't finish the word. He broke off sharply, reminded of Skywarp and his insufferable obsession with the word "inconceivable". Sierra didn't want to anger the massive being in whom she sat, but she could not help peeking over her shoulder again. "What _is_ an Autotrooper? Are they some elite government group?" Her eye caught a helicopter following a short distance away. She hoped it was a friendly. "And what _are_ you? If...if you don't mind my asking."

Starscream groaned. "I'll explain everything later, alright kid?" Abruptly, the helicopter opened fire on the Raptor, sending him into a panicked barrel roll to avoid the sabot rounds. He cursed viciously, then winced, hoping he hadn't left any channels open. If Megatron were to catch him swearing like that, and if front of a human child...well, he had bigger problems at the moment but the worry still nagged at him. "Hang on tight, we're diving!" he warned Sierra. The human dug her fingernails into the armrests of the seat, squeezing her eyes shut as her stomach attempted to exit through her esophagus. The helicopter followed close behind, spraying bullets at the Seeker's wings. Without warning, an MQ9 Reaper came screaming in from the side and intercepted the fire, forcing the helicopter back. "Friend of yours?" Sierra gasped. "Family," Starscream corrected.

Soundwave drove the Apache helicopter further away, releasing a sonic wave. The green air vehicle wheeled about and made for the ground, attempting to get underneath the two Decepticons. Starscream beat him to it. "Hang on!" Sierra was really starting to hate that phrase. The sound of metal crashing and roaring ended and once more she found herself in the open air, held in one metal hand and feeling violently ill. "Soundwave will keep the chopper off our backs for a minute. I'm putting you down." the Decepticon explained. He dropped from the sky to gracefully land beside a highway bridge, and ducked beneath it. He was not without witnesses.

* * *

Mikoto Nakadai loved paint. She liked the feel of it between her fingers and the way it left color everywhere. She dipped her small digits into a can of red—she smirked a little at the idea of using the "unpatriotic color". Miko brushed one hand against the cement of the underpass, trailing her fingers along every crack, every seam, every tiny imperfection in the rock. Her other hand reached for a can of lilac purple and she began to make the vague shape of a sunset. Miko hummed happily. She couldn't hear it, but she felt her throat vibrate and knew the sounds were there. Reds, purples, deep magentas all took shapes under her attentions until the wall of the underpass was alive with color.

The little girl leaned back and wiped the sweat from her brow, leaving a carnelian stain. With a wide smile, she began to make smaller, finer drawings underneath the picture in scarlet. Geometric designs that Jack said meant "sun", "moon", and "hungry". Well, maybe not that last one. Miko looked down at her rumbling stomach and decided that she would have to finish soon. She added the finishing touches to her masterpiece: Japanese characters that spelled out the phrase that Jack's grandmother, Rani, had taught them: "**When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion**". Her smile was shaken suddenly as the ground shook beneath her feet. Miko looked around, black pigtails whipping back and forth. Her eyes widened as a slim silver figure landed in a crouch and deposited the disoriented figure of Sierra Cody to the ground. Its mouth moved—Miko thought it looked like it was saying "Hide", and it turned away from them. A second giant with what looked like blades on its back landed, knocking Miko off her feet, and the silver one darted forward to intercept it.

_Whoa!_ Miko signed as Starscream landed a flurry of light punches only to be sent helm over pedes with one mighty blow. The air commander landed back upright and skidded to a halt, taking a moment to wipe a trickle of energon from his faceplate before charging back into the fray. A sonic shockwave staggered them both as Soundwave transformed in midair and landed on the Autotrooper's shoulders. His momentum brought them both to the ground as the younger Decepticon threw a punch powerful enough to send sparks flying from the drone's mask. The Autobot struggled feebly, but succumbed, sending out a distress call as it went offline. The spy threw his arms into the air in a "field goal" pose, and his visor displayed the words "_K.O_.!", announced by an authoritative voice. His celebration was short-lived.

Two more helicopters soon took the place of the second, transforming in seconds and ready to fight. Sierra grabbed Miko's hand and dragged her to the end of the tunnel, hoping to find shelter. One of the drones caught sight of them and gave chase immediately. There were no places to hide in the underpass; Sierra glared at the giant and bent over to shelter Miko with her own body. The ungainly creature reached out one hand to seize the girls...and was tackled by Soundwave, who rammed him into the wall. The Autotrooper fell with a crash, with most of the sunset mural now on his chassis instead of the underpass. The spy glanced from the ruined painting to the little girl who was still covered in the same colors, and hung his helm. He made a fist over his spark chamber and circled it clockwise twice. _Sorry_. The artist beamed and moved her sideways hand up from the palm of her other hand twice. _It's alright_. For a mech with no face, Soundwave looked relieved. The Autotrooper at his pedes began to stir, and Soundwave made a snap decision.

The steely grey Decepticon crouched in front of the two girl and held his hands out coaxingly. "What _are_ you?" Sierra whispered. In response, the theme music from "The X-Files" began playing from the visor, along with the picture of the Enterprise from "Star Trek". The reactions were mixed. Miko clapped her hands and bounced up and down with excitement. And Pilar Esquivel said that only babies believed in aliens! Sierra, on the other hand, had a hand to her chest in an attempt to not hyperventilate. "Aliens." she deadpanned. "Aliens are real. Ohhhh crud, crud, crud, _crud_!" Sierra's life was officially out-of-control. As the Autotrooper behind them began to push itself upright, Soundwave lost patience and scooped the two humans up into his arms. He turned to where Starscream had just put a rocket through the helm of the other trooper and held Sierra out towards him. "_It's dangerous to go alone. Take this!_" his visor read.

Starscream looked down at the humans and sighed. "Knock Out is going to have a fit!" He transformed and Soundwave deposited Sierra into his cockpit, neither wanting to subject the highschooler to the vertigo of before. As the restraints wound around her, Sierra tried unsuccessfully to move past the cognitive roadblock set in place by the fact that aliens were real. She squeaked in surprise as the jet took off, with Soundwave carrying Miko behind them. "Where are you taking us?" she asked, steadying her voice. "Home," her rescuer said shortly. Sierra began to protest, but was quickly cut off. "_My_ home, not yours." Starscream said little else the entire flight. He was trying to convince himself that this wasn't a _really bad idea_, and that no one would have a problem with adding two more fleshlings to the fold. After all, he reasoned, there hadn't been a problem when Airachnid and Breakdown adopted June, and everyone loved Pax!

His more pragmatic side quashed the optimism with the cold observation that June had been an orphan and Pax was _born_ a Decepticon. The red-head in his cockpit and the itty-bitty artist in Soundwave's probably had homes and families, and someone was bound to miss them if they disappeared. More concerning was Sierra's suspicion that the Autotroopers knew where she lived and might target her loved ones. Not, of course, that the little human had any idea what an Autotrooper was. She still suspected her own government of wrongdoing...not that she would have been too far off in her guess. Almost unconsciously, Starscream found himself checking his internal temperatures and pressure gauges to ensure that his passenger was comfortable. She was so _fragile_, this human, and yet she risked her life to protect the smaller one away from the Autobots. She was a protector, just like him. He couldn't wait to get back to the _Nemesis_ to show her to Skywarp—a cold, dead feeling washed over the young mech as he remembered why he couldn't.

It wasn't the first time it had happened, either. When experimenting in the lab, he still found himself holding a beaker behind him, "Here, 'Warp. Put this with the others." But Skywarp never answered. Because Skywarp was dead, and he didn't even have the closure of a body to mourn. Cruelly, his subconscious began pointing out the similarities between his younger brother and the humans he was supposed to protect. _Shut up! Shut up!_ He vainly tried to block out his own voice. _She isn't 'Warp, she's a hapless, helpless organic!_ The organic in question piped up suddenly. "Thanks. For earlier, I mean." Starscream grunted noncommittally and continued to fly, relieved by the sight of a Ground Bridge forming in midair. At least Soundwave was thinking clearly: Starscream had been prepared to fly all the way back to the _Nemesis_ himself! The thought occurred to him suddenly as he and his companion flew through the vortex. _How in the name of the Thirteen am I going to explain this to Megatron?!_

* * *

Jack couldn't concentrate. He shoved his datapad away with a huff and rolled off the bunk. His mother threw him a sympathetic look. "I know you're worried, sweetspark. You just need to trust Lord Megatron's judgment." After sighting the Autobot drones at the K.O. Burger, Breakdown had called for an immediate Ground Bridge, barely escaping their pursuer. He hadn't even stopped to let Jack out when he transformed, passing the dizzy boy to Knock Out. "What's going on?" his old friend asked, but the roughened mech didn't even stop to answer. He pelted down the bridge until he came to navigation, shouting, "Autobot activity in town!" Megatron frowned. Of all the times for Starscream to have gone off on his own! "Soundwave! Go find Starscream!" he commanded, "I cannot help but feel that he's going to need backup." He turned back to Breakdown. "Report," he said. The soldier explained that he and Jack had gone to drive his little friend Sierra home from work, as they always did on Fridays, but that two Autotroopers were patrolling the streets next to the drive-in.

"They saw me, Lord Megatron," Breakdown groaned, "And what's worse: they saw _Jack_." The collected Decepticons on the bridge stiffened. "And if they trace him to the school," Megatron slowly reasoned, "They will discover who his friends are and who can be used against us. They will target anyone perceived as our ally." He whirled to the com and hailed Soundwave. "Addendum to previous orders," he said tersely, "If you should find the humans known as Sierra or Mikoto, bring them to the ship for their own safety!" He strode back to Knock Out and Jack, who had been joined by June when the shouting started. "What's going on, Lord Megatron?" the woman asked. "Pax Minor was seen by an Autobot while he was with Breakdown," the titan grimly replied. "I fear you will have to withdraw him from school for his own protection." June clenched her fists to keep them from trembling. It might look strange to other humans to pull her son out of school in the middle of the year, but she was not going to risk losing another family member. Especially not her own son. "As you wish, Lord Megatron," she said softly.

"But exams are coming up!" the boy protested. "The matter is not up for debate," Megatron said sternly, "You are _not_ going back until we no longer have to worry about Autobots stalking the town!" Jack wasn't satisfied. "My friends are in that town, aren't they in danger too? And what about Sierra? That Autobot saw her talking to me!" June started. She knew Sierra Cody's parents: they ran a secret soup kitchen in Jasper for those who couldn't—or wouldn't—buy the government-issued credit-card. With food sales dropping, it was entirely possible that the troopers had been sent to find the charity and shut it down, rather than look for Decepticons. Jack was right: Sierra was in danger. Megatron did not shy away from the boy's accusing gaze. "I can't hide up here if the rest of my people are stuck down there with them!"

"_Jackson._"

Pax winced at the tone. "I never asked you to agree with this decision. I am asking you to _trust_ me," the Decepticon leader chided. A klaxon from the bridge warned of a sudden energon reading from somewhere in Alaska. "Breakdown, with me," Megatron ordered, "Knock Out, when the others return they may need medical attention. See to it that Starscream does _not_ manage to slip away without a tune-up this time!" A Ground Bridge opened as the two prepared to move out. "Be careful, Dad," June called. Breakdown offered a half-hearted smile. "Sure, Junebug. Anything for you." _Airachnid's going to kill me_. He thought as they entered the Bridge.


	8. Chapter 8

**And on to the next part of the story! Whoo! This one took me a ****_long_**** time to pull together.**

**This chapter features a character borrowed from skellington girl at her request: Violet Woodlock. Just so you all know, I don't do that kind of thing usually, so it will only be for this story. Still, in the interest of fairness, if anyone else wants to cameo, let me know. (I don't really know why you'd want to cameo in this, but if you want to, I'll see what I can do).**

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The ship was huge: far larger than anything Miko had ever seen. She tapped the window of the cockpit in a fluttery, excited motion. The seatbelts restricted, then loosened ever-so-slightly in a vehicular mimicry of a hug. June was waiting in the hangar bay with Knock Out when they landed. "Oh, scrap." Starscream muttered. "What? What's wrong?" Sierra asked nervously. Her rescuer sighed. "The medics are here to meet us this time. They're getting smarter." He did not explain beyond this, and released the seat belts to let the girl climb out. Soundwave had simply transformed around Miko, who was surprisingly not dizzy. The small girl beamed at everyone and everything. "Mrs. Darby?!" Sierra exclaimed, "They grabbed you too?" The woman laughed sweetly and hugged the nervous girl. "Oh no, bless you honey. I _live_ here. Come on, let's make sure neither of you were injured." She took Miko from a reluctant Soundwave and ran scans over them both. "Jack was worried sick about you," June remarked.

As if on cue, Jack appeared, walking next to Airachnid. "Starscream," he called, "Megatron said you can't leave the hangar until you've received the ok from Knock Out!" The Seeker froze, wings twitching, from where he'd been trying to slip away. "And you're going to tattle to him if I do, aren't you?" he sighed. Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You got it. Come on, 'Scream. You don't want him dragging you to the med bay himself, like the Arctic Incident, right?" Starscream's optics flared. "Who told you about that?!" he shrieked. Knock Out grinned and waved two servos. That was when Jack noticed the extra humans. "By the Allspark!" he cried, "Sierra! Miko! You're okay!" He jogged over to them and wrapped them in a bone-crushing hug. "I was afraid the 'Bots had gone after you!" Sierra pushed him away with a scowl. "Jack, what on Earth is going on?! Who—or what—are these "Bots" or _these _guys for that matter?_" _The spidery-looking robot next to Jack put her hands on her hips. "Why, Sierra! I'd have thought you'd have remembered me!"

"What the—Jack! That's your gramma's voice!" Sierra spluttered. Miko read their lips and shrugged. _Hi, Jack's gramma! _She signed happily, _Why are you a robot now? _Airachnid laughed and swept the child up into her arms. _I was a robot to begin with, dear, _she signed back, _we just disguise ourselves as humans so as not to frighten you_. When Sierra finally found her voice again, she asked, "How many people we interact with are robots in disguise?" Jack guided her into a sitting position on the hangar floor. "I know, this is a lot to take in," he said sympathetically, "And I promise, as soon as Lord Megatron comes back, he'll answer your questions." The stress of the day began to catch up with Sierra, and she found herself blinking back tears. Seconds later, the Decepticons were all hovering over the girl, trying to calm her. "Come come," Knock Out teased, "Surely we're not _that _ugly?" From the outside edge of the group, Starscream rolled his optics. "She's _stressed _doctor. She's been chased, shot at, almost stepped on, and flown through some pretty impressive aerial acrobatics—if I do say so myself."

Soundwave tapped his visor for a minute in thought, then seemed to brighten. On his visor, a pixel video of a cat with a breakfast pastry for a body began to fly to an inane repeated tune. The older Decepticons groaned when they realized who he was calling. "O HAI HOOMANS!" Ravage bounded into the room and skidded to a halt in front of Sierra and Miko. "It's a giant cat." the redhead said dully. "Of course." Ravage tilted his head and blinked at them. "OH NOES! Y U HAZ TEH SADZ?" For a giant metal cat, Ravage was oddly adorable and he knew it. The cassette pushed his nose up into the sad "hooman"'s face and purred. Despite herself, Sierra began to smile. She was still upset about, well, _everything, _but somehow this absurd robot made things a little better. Miko was still balanced on Airachnid's hip as they made their way to the command center. Starscream complained the whole way as Knock Out attempted to patch a scorch mark on his wings.

The girls were amazed at the way that Jack seemed to fit right in among the giant metal people. He didn't seem to be worried about getting squished at all! When another one of those huge green portal-things opened and a robot painted a familiar shade of blue stepped through, Sierra's mind jumped to the logical conclusion. "Is that your grandpa?" she asked. The boy nodded. "Pop, you okay?" he called up to the titan. "Hey, bud," Breakdown answered tiredly, "I got some good news and I got some bad news." The portal flashed again and an impossibly tall silver mech appeared on the bridge. The Deceptions, Jack and June all saluted him. Following in their example, Miko offered a playful salute as well. Megatron stopped in his tracks and looked down at the raven haired child in Airachnid's arms. "Juniper appears to have shrunk," he observed dryly. The gathered Decepticons chuckled and on the ground, Jack's tension melted away. If the warlord was up to making jokes, the situation wasn't as dire as he feared.

"What's the good news?" Knock Out asked, only half paying attention. The moment the Bridge had opened, Starscream had taken advantage of his momentary distraction and rocketed up to the ceiling, and now he refused to come down. "The _good _news," Breakdown answered, coming over to pull the Seeker down by the foot, "Is that we found an energon deposit and managed to subspace six crystals before the Autobots showed up." He ignored Starscream's indignant protests and held the younger mech in place so that Knock Out could finish tending to his injuries. Starscream hated check-ups. "So...what's the _bad _news?" Sierra piped up, leaning on Ravage. Megatron glanced down and nodded in greeting. "You are Sierra, I take it? Then this is Miko. We have heard much about you." He turned his gaze to Jack with an expression that was one part pity and two parts concern. "The bad news, Pax, is that we encountered Autobots, and they asked about you. By name." Sierra wrinkled her nose. "Autobots?" Starscream answered petulantly from the corner. "The jokers who tried to fry us earlier."

Miko swiveled her head to look around at the concerned Deceptions and asked a question of her own. _What are they doing here?_ She asked silently. Airachnid translated the query out loud for the 'Cons who couldn't understand sign language. The big silver one looked so very sad that Miko almost wished she hadn't asked the question. "The Autobots are in league with, and possibly controlling, several world governments," he answered, "I fear they are trying to conquer this world, as our own in no longer habitable." Anticipating the next question, he held up a hand. "Yes, we are from another world. We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, rendered a barren wasteland after centuries of civil war. My name is Megatron, and you have already met several of our number." One by one, the Decepticons introduced themselves. "I'm sorry," Sierra blushed when Breakdown and Airachnid spoke their names. "For the last two years, I've just called you Rani and Pop like Jack. I don't know if I can get my head around these other names."

Miko stared up at Megatron and squirmed down out of Airachnid's grasp. _Why were you fighting a war?_ She asked. The huge Decepticon knelt to be on eye-level with the children. "Foremost, over the caste system that had long been enforced over our people. There was no such thing as freedom on Cybertron when I was young. At the beginning, I fought alongside one I considered my brother." His voice grew distant. "But in war, ideals can be corrupted, and the treachery of one may rule the fate of all. Thus it was that Orion Pax, through no fault of his own, was corrupted." There was a long silence, until suddenly a warning tone began to pulse. "Ah, that'll be the proximity sensors," Airachnid sighed. "Come on kids, let's get you out of sight." Sierra blinked. "What? Why?" June made a face. "Because Agent Lockwood usually only comes when there have been...issues. It's probably best she doesn't find out we have unauthorized human visitors right now." Jack waited with the girls around the corner of a console. "_Please." _Knock Out scoffed, "She's thirteen! I can handle things if she gets angry...again."

As the humans shuffled down the hall, Miko tugged on Jack's arm. _How long have you known about these guys? _Her brown eyes were slightly accusing. "All my life," he answered softly, "From the time my mom was pregnant with me to right now, I've lived on the _Nemesis_." He grimaced. "I wanted to tell you guys, but I wasn't allowed to." Exhausted, Sierra leaned on his shoulder. "Because of the Autobot guys?" she asked. "Precisely!" June answered for Jack. She smiled at the younger female. "I, on the other hand, was adopted when I was a preschooler. I was either three or four, I don't remember which." She stopped walking as a spindly metallic figure dodged out in front of them. It was no bigger than Miko, with mandibles instead of a more humanlike mouth. "Who dat?" it asked in a high-pitched voice, "Dat Aunt Joon?" The woman's face softened. "Yes, Frenzy, it's Aunt June. What are you doing out of recharge?" The cassette shrugged and walked up to them in a drunken wobble. "I no sleep. Gots moon-horses." "Nightmares, Frenzy. They're called nightmares." Jack corrected, ruffling the shiny helm.

Sierra crouched down next to the cassette. "Hi there," she said quietly, "I'm Sierra." If alien robots were going to be part of her life now, she might as well get started in getting to know them, she decided. The little head swiveled to meet her gaze and she saw that one of its eyes was missing. The other was scuffed and dirty. "I Frenzy," the little Decepticon said shyly, "You Pax friend?" June quickly explained, seeing Sierra's baffled expression. "Jack has two names. When he's around humans, we use his legal name, Jackson Darby. When he's at home, we use the name Lord Megatron gave him: Pax Minor." Sierra shook her head wonderingly. She had a feeling that it was only going to get more complicated from here. Miko tiptoed over to the half-blind mech and tilted her head to look into his eye. _We're Pax's friends!_ Her fingers moved rapidly. _I'm Miko._ She frowned when he didn't respond. June patted her shoulder comfortingly. "He can't see your hands, honey," she said gently, "He can hardly see at all." The little girl pouted. She had become accustomed to people understanding her, and meeting someone who couldn't "speak" back bothered her.

Jack tried to explain the Cassette's role to Sierra. "He's a deployer. Soundwave keeps him in a chamber in his chest, and when they're out spying, he sends Frenzy to scout out places he's too big to fit in." He sent the Cassette a sympathetic look. "That's how he lost his optic. They were spying out a potential Autobot base and _someone_ wasn't watching out for unstable rocks in the tunnels." Frenzy scowled and scuffed his pedes. "Big Bro already yell, Pax no yell too!" he grumbled. "Can't you fix him?" Sierra asked innocently. The human Decepticons sighed in concert. "It takes a long time to fix an eye," June said. "We're doing our best, but his vision is going to be impaired for a while." Suddenly, they heard a racket from the end of the hall. There was an explosion of French and the sound of something hitting the wall with a clatter. "Ah, scrap." Jack muttered. June shot him a sharp look. "Language, Pax. You want your mouth washed out again?" As Starscream, Pax, and all young Decepticons had learned, Megatron did not tolerate swearing aboard the _Nemesis._ "There is a wealth of better-suited words to describe your sentiments!" he always said, "Why settle for vulgarity?" Not that this prevented Starscream from cursing when he thought Megatron couldn't hear him.

The sound of running feet drew their attention to a slim figure pelting down the corridor towards them. Behind her, Knock Out swiftly followed, shouting, "Get back here and sit down for your check up!" The newcomer slid on the slippery floors and changed direction at the last moment. The medic was not so lucky and slammed into the wall. "Blasted sawbones! I'm _fine_!" the young woman snarled. "Impossible girl! Your prosthetic is out of alignment in _three places_!" Knock Out hissed back, grabbing for her. "_Non_! You'll never take me alive!" Agent Woodlock dodged his hand and plowed straight into Jack, starting a chain reaction that ended in a pile of arms and legs. Green eyes narrowed upon seeing two surplus humans. "Medic..." she said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "Would you like to explain to me who these people are and what they're doing on this ship?" The representative from M.E.C.H. had been informed that there were a woman and a boy living with the Deceptions, and that said 'Cons would only give them up over their cold, sparkless husks. She had _not_ been informed that they had seemingly snatched two more humans for the sheer heck of it.

Violet drew herself up to her full height—which was only up to Jack's shoulder—and crossed her arms. "Humans are _not_ strays, Decepticon. You can _not _just bring them home as you please and think no more of it than that!" she snapped her fingers as an emphasis. "Silas is going to hear about this!" June quickly took charge of the situation. "These young ladies were in danger, Agent Woodlock. Lord Megatron had them brought here for their own protection." Sierra raised an eyebrow as she watched the younger girl debate with Jack's mother. She couldn't have been more than fourteen, yet she argued and behaved like someone a fair bit older. She caught Jack's eyes, but he mouthed _Don't ask._ The agent had her hands on her hips now, and seemed not to notice that Knock Out was realigning her cybernetic arm. "_Protection_?! It's the 'Bots, isn't it? They're back, aren't they?!" The floor shook beneath their feet as a deep, raspy voice interrupted. "If you are referring to the Autobots, I have my doubts that they ever left."

Agent Woodlock glared up at Megatron. "Then it's time to wake up the rest of M.E.C.H." The ex-gladiator raised a hand in warning. "Hear me, Agent Woodlock. I must ask you to allow the Decepticons to handle this for now. Involvement of the human militia will only end in disaster. Perhaps you can condone human casualties," the hidden challenge stung the girl, "But I cannot." Violet clenched her fists, but nodded. "Fine. Just...just _fine_." She stormed away to the bridge, stepping into the lift that would take her back to the hangar bay. "Mind you, Megatron," she said as she left, "You had better do something about those 'Bots...or I will." The doors swished shut. _Well isn't she cheerful? _Miko signed sarcastically. "Agent Woodlock is concerned for her world, Mikoto," Megatron said slowly, "As she should be." He turned and paced towards his quarters, deep in thought.

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_A piece of scrap metal struck the back of Cliffjumper's helm with a resounding clang. "Who threw that?!" he screeched, outraged. The drones stifled their snickering and pretended to look busy. Impassively, Goldbug watched them. As always, his battle mask remained over his faceplate. Silently, he marched up to the Autobot SIC and held up a small monitor displaying a spark signature. He pointed at the Space Bridge controls meaningfully. Cliffjumper scowled. "Those transmissions are coming from deep space!" he growled, "I would __**hate**__ to waste the energon, unless you are absolutely __**certain**__!" Goldbug took a step closer, saying nothing. With a hiss of frustration, the horned mech turned his back on the spy. "Very well," he relented, "Lock on transmission coordinates and activate the Space Bridge."_

_The Bridge was activated remotely, and in the depths of the ocean a lone Autobot drifts through the portal from the other side of the galaxy. Cruel red optics gleam in the murky water and a thunderous voice proclaims: "__**Autobots! I have returned!**__"_

**...To be continued.**


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